Where do you think your anxiety started? What are your triggers?

[MEmily1105]

Where did it all begin? Why are we suffering? Are we considered normal? What is it that has made us like this? Was it a traumatic experience?

What's your story?

[martin05]

Probably learned from my parents. Neither handled emotions well. Mom went off into depressive sulks for days. Dad was an alcoholic. Communication was non-existent really.

I copied them. I bottled my emotions away until one day the lid blew off and panic disorder set in. That's when the fun really started. Not! :)

[nickv98]

I had slight anxiety and odd as a young kid (6-7) but went away with time. that is until I smoked marijuana one night about 8 months ago with some friends. triggered a horrible anxiety. it has gotten more easier to live with but still affects my life. sometimes I just feel like I'm going crazy. Has this happened to anyone else? will it go away?

[Anne1221]

I believe it starts with a genetic predisposition for anxiety and then if you have bad experiences, that can agitate it. I had a perfect childhood and here I am on an anxiety forum at night. But so many of my cousins, and other relatives have this issue too. Does cancer run in our family? No, no one gets cancer. But we do get anxiety. That's my story.

[MEmily1105]

Wow, thanks for sharing! Well for me I was fine as a kid growing up never had any issues until 2012. I was shot at a party and it led me into the dark road of PTSD, anxiety, and depression. UGHH it sucks I have been suffering for years! Its just nice to know that your not alone.. Im hoping a miracle will come over me one day and start my life over and get me back to how I was before.

Are we considered normal people or does it define us?

[Anne1221]

It does NOT define me. I am a kind, considerate, caring person and that's who I am. Let me tell you this...we may have anxiety, but everyone has issues. In my apartment complex, I'm the anxious one, but we have two alcoholics, and many others and each one of them has a story of some type of burden they carry. Don't look at others and believe they are without problems, troubles, etc because some of those people you are looking at have serious problems but you just don't see it.

[bandfan]

Probably learned from my parents. Neither handled emotions well. Mom went off into depressive sulks for days. Dad was an alcoholic. Communication was non-existent really.

I copied them. I bottled my emotions away until one day the lid blew off and panic disorder set in. That's when the fun really started. Not! :)

Wow, exactly like MY mom and dad. All I know is, a bit after my dad died in 1987, I was sitting doing bills, when I got an irresistable feeling to STAND UP AND GET OUT OF THE HOUSE !!! As I was going down the stairs, the feeling lifted within 30 seconds. The disorder has mutated and developed ever since. When I was 7 years old, I did get a concussion and skull fracture, and was in a coma for a week, but I don't KNOW the cause of the anxiety. Suicide runs on my Mom's side of the family, and my paternal grandfather would stand out in a field because of "great fears". Over-sensitization to body and mind sensations MAY be involved, but I always lose MINDFULNESS (indicating the constant need to practice) and after a certain point, I'm not watching out for initial triggers, the anxiety-circuit fires up, builds strength, then I'm no longer watching out for it, I'm running and screaming FROM it. Once the "anxiety circuit" is somehow triggered, it seems too late to do anything about it, and then I'm in defense mode.....leading to an occasional LORAZEPAM = "I'm tired and I give up !!"

[gypsylee]

For me it was hereditory and environmental. My mother is about as neurotic as they come and my father is middle/upper class British. So he never stood up to her, as she heaped guilt, shame and anxiety/depression onto me. I think of her as this ball of completely unresolved trauma (as a child she was a refugee fleeing Stalin and the Russions during WW2). Then spent a long time in Australian refugee camps and was at the mercy of Australian landlords who did “nasty” things to her :(

I’ve seen her with my daughter and it boggles my mind what it must have been like as a child for me. My daughter says the same thing and is now mature enough to understand the severe anxiety I suffer from. Even my narcissistic ex has made comments to that effect. But I do think it gets a little easier as one gets older (I’m now 44) and I’m able to tell myself “it’s just anxiety” (even though it feels AWFUL) and I don’t try to keep it all to myself.

As for “normal” people.. The older I get, the more I realise there are no “normal” people :) There are more well-adjusted people but one of my favourite quotes is “it is no measure of health to be adjusted to a profoundly sick society” (Jiddu Krishnamurti).

Anyway, my story of anxiety is on my webpage (I will try and ensure it is still up!) i’ve done quite a lot of reading on psychology and anxiety, and the root of the problem is that our brains have not caught up with the fast-paced, plastic society we are now living in.

All the best,
Gypsy x

[MEmily1105]

I totally agree, I dont think there is a such thing as normal anymore.

[NAJ]

My Grandfather had OCD, Mom has OCD and I have Anxiety/OCD.

My trigger was back in 66/67 (I was 11) when my Dad had a brain tumor removed and although they saved his life the surgery left him mentally incapacitated.
From that point on I became miserable and cranky, never had a feeling of peace and lashed out at the world, never shared my feelings, kept to myself (probably one of the reasons my marriage failed) and did not want to be bothered by anybody.

It was back in 02/03 (???) my doctor suggested Anti-Depressants, started on Lexapro, moved to Citalopram (due to change of medical and cost of Lexapro) and I am now on 150 mg's of Zoloft and the meds have worked wonders for me.